Racing on weather watch

Sandown officials have not given up hope of staging Saturday's jumps meeting, despite having to call a morning inspection as areas of the course are waterlogged.

Slightly more rain than expected fell overnight that has just about taken the Esher venue to saturation point, but generally the course has taken the deluge remarkably well.

What Sandown wants is just a little help from nature to give the fixture, featuring the 32Red Tolworth Hurdle Novices' Hurdle, a sporting chance of going ahead.

Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper has conceded, however, that he may have to bring the 7.30am Saturday inspection forward to today if wet conditions returned.

"We had further overnight as expected, unfortunately at the top end of the forecast scale, about nine millimetres in total," he told At The Races.

"I probably describe us as very much just about raceable as we stand. It's a very marginal decision and there are parts of the course I've never known quite as wet, but we would just about get through.

"What we have decided to do is plan to inspect at 7.30 tomorrow morning, unless the situation deteriorated during the day, which is not totally out of the question as we could see some gusty, squally showers this afternoon if the wind gets up.

"There could also be an organised spell of rain around on Saturday morning between 5am and 10am. We are hanging in there at the moment and just need help from the weather in the next 12- to 24-hour period. It's only right and proper we give it every chance of getting it on and do our best to do so, but it's going to be a close call."

Wincanton's fixture on the same afternoon is now subject to a 7am precautionary inspection on raceday morning.

Officials at the Somerset venue need to check conditions a second time following an upbeat assessment on Friday.

The going is heavy, with some standing water on the chase course.

Clerk of the course Barry Johnson said: "We've had 13mm of overnight rain, but the track has taken that brilliantly.

"There's a bit of standing water on the chase track, but there's a few more showers forecast today and through tonight. But the way the track's taken the rain today I think we'll be fine."

Plumpton's meeting on Sunday, due to feature the At The Races Sussex National, must pass an 11am inspection on Saturday morning.

The going is heavy, waterlogged in places, and more rain has been forecast.

Clerk of the course Mark Cornford said: "I've been optimistic throughout the week, but the rain is slowly defeating us a little, shall we say.

"The forecasts we've had for the week have been pretty near the mark. Overnight there was 13mm of rainfall, but it looks like today is going to be blustery with the odd shower. The forecast is, though, not so great overnight - we could 12 to 14mm (of rain). We are up against it, no doubt about it."

Ten millimetres of overnight rain has left the ground heavy for Saturday's meeting at Cork.

There is more rain forecast, but officials at the Mallow venue believe there are reasons for optimism.

A Cork spokesperson said: "We missed out on the very heavy rain in Cork city and we are totally raceable today.

"We were in a bad state earlier in the week, but the drainage on the course has worked very well. The forecast for the next 24 hours is mixed, with storms and scattered showers."

Jumps racing on Saturday is also scheduled at Newcastle, who said there are "no problems envisaged" if the forecast is correct.

Despite having taken 32mm of rain since December 21, the going at Gosforth Park is heavy, soft in places.

The situation is less clear-cut ahead of Monday's meeting at Taunton.

An 11am inspection on Saturday morning has been called, with the ground heavy, waterlogged in places.

Taunton chief executive Bob Young said: "Hopefully we'll be OK, but we're just going to have to take things day by day.

"We've had nearly three inches of rain since the meeting on Monday and we're waterlogged in places. We all know there are storms around so we're likely to get more rain tonight and again on Saturday.

"We'll see where we are at 11am. If it's a hopeless situation we'll have to call it off as there is more rain to come, but if not then we'll keep going. It is too early to say whether we'll be racing or not. We just want to mark everyone's card."